At The Beginning
by mamaXunicorn
Summary: It was amazing how in a moment of such panic and uncertainty such clarity could be found. Wemma fluff! Spoilers/speculations for 'Grilled Cheesus'


_**A/N: This was yet another request from the forum and I hope everybody likes it!**_

_**Spoilers and speculation for 'Grilled Cheesus'

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Will glanced in his rear view mirror at the shaking and the teary eyed boy in the backseat of his car and felt his heart clench painfully at the sight.

Emma had come running into his office not five minutes earlier, panicked and spluttering something about Kurt's father being in the hospital. He quickly followed Emma to Principal Figgins' office where Kurt was already waiting and looking like he could burst into tears at any moment.

Will offered immediately to take Kurt to see his Dad and Principal Figgins let both he and Emma have the rest of the day off to accompany Kurt to the hospital.

Without even thinking twice, Emma got into Will's car with him, too concerned about Kurt to worry about how she'd get home later. Kurt climbed into the backseat and Will drove as fast as he could, without breaking too many laws, towards the hospital.

As Kurt stifled a cry from the backseat, Will shared a worried glance with Emma. She frowned heavily and kept glancing back at Kurt who kept trying, yet failing, to keep his cool in front of his two teachers.

Will watched Emma out of the corner of his eye and recognized the look on her face as she stared back at Kurt. It was her motherly, caring look, her instinct to want to protect and comfort the children around her. She had a gift for handling people, especially children and more often than not, after a talk with her an upset teenager would be feeling much better about themselves and their situation. Will could easily tell Emma wanted to be back there with Kurt, talking to him quietly, trying to keep the boy calm but all she could do, all either of them could do, was just sit back and watch him helplessly.

Will's gaze shifted every few seconds between the breaking boy in the backseat, the woman who wanted nothing more than to help him, and the road which he was traveling just a little too fast on. traveling

As Kurt's forehead thudded against the glass window and a single tear rolled down his cheek, Emma finally tore her eyes away from him, biting down hard on her lip to keep herself quiet.

Her fingernails tapped nervously against the arm rest in between the front seats as she stared out the window. Will glanced down at her hand quickly and making a snap decision, brought one of his hands to rest over hers, comfortingly.

Emma froze momentarily and slowly turned to look at him. Will forced a small smile, keeping his eyes on the road. Emma shifted her eyes towards their hands and flipped her hand around under his and intwined their fingers together. Will gave her hand a comforting squeeze and Emma continued to hold onto his hand tightly, focusing her attention back outside the window.

Kurt was so quiet in the backseat, Emma had to glance at him every so often just to make sure he was still there. The young boy only continued to stare out the slightly fogged window trying to fight off tears.

Will pulled into the Emergency Room parking lot and screeched into the nearest parking space, sending all passengers of the old blue car jerking forward. Before Will had a chance to apologize for the jerky stop, Kurt shoved the door open and was outside. Will shared another look with Emma and their hands separated as they stepped out of the car.

Without another word all three of them quickly made their way to the entrance of the Emergency Room. Will slammed his palms down onto the nurses station upon being the first to arrive. "We're here for a Burt Hummel."

"I'm his son." Kurt piped up quietly from behind Will.

The nurse behind the glass divider raised her eyebrow, snapped her gum, and started to click her fingernails against the keyboard. She pursed her lips as she caroused the files on the computer and Will sighed impatiently, sneaking occasional glances to the shaking boy behind him.

"I'm sorry, we're not allowing visitors at this time." The nurse finally told them in a dull monotone.

"What?" Kurt squeaked, Emma's eyes widened and Will's jaw dropped. Will's eyes narrowed as he stepped aside to reveal Kurt fully and he motioned to the boy.

"This is Burt's son, you can't deny him access to see his father!" Will cried, raising his voice slightly.

"I'm sorry sir." The woman repeated, shooting the three an annoyed look. "I can't let you or anyone else in at this time. You may have a seat in our waiting room and I will let you know when visitors are allowed."

Will gritted his teeth and shook his head, glaring at the woman. He let out a heavy sigh and ran his fingers through his hair while Emma cast a sad look at the pathetic looking Kurt.

"Kurt..." Will placed a hand gently on the boys' shoulder but he violently shrugged away from his teacher's comforting touch and slunk away towards the waiting area.

Will frowned heaving, letting his hand fall slowly to his side, as he watched Kurt collapse into a chair burying his face in his hands.

"Don't take it personally, Will." Emma's quiet voice piped up as she moved to stand beside him, keeping her eyes fixed on Kurt. "He's hurt."

"I know he is." Will sighed and shook his head slowly. "I can't imagine what he's feeling especially now that he is denied being able to see him."

Emma could only frown in response, any words at all seemed highly inappropriate. With a quick glance up at Will, she started to walked towards the waiting area and after doing a quick wiping of one of the chairs, sat in the row across from Kurt.

Slumping his shoulders slightly, Will made his way towards the waiting area after Emma and took the seat next to her. They both tried not to stare at the distraught boy who was no doubt crying quietly into his hands, they didn't want to make him any less comfortable than he already was.

They both sat awkwardly in the chairs, not knowing what to do, say, feel or even think. It was hardly an appropriate time to small talk and it was even more inappropriate to talk about other things.

After fifteen minutes of shifting uncomfortably in the hard hospital chairs, tapping his foot, observing every other person in the waiting room and trying to look anywhere but Kurt or Emma, Will finally reached over to the nearest magazine rack and pulled out the first one he could find, not even bothering to look at the title.

He flipped through the first few pages and discovered that on each one of them was a pregnant woman, a few of them being half naked. His eyes widened slightly and he caught Emma's look of disgust and amusement as he slammed the magazine closed. His face flushed red as he shoved the magazine back into the rack and returned to his seat, his hands folding neatly over his lap as he avoided the redhead's gaze.

Emma bit her lip to hide her smile at the obviously embarrassed Will. She knew he was trying to find a distraction by picking up a magazine but it held so many germs from being exposed to sick people all day every day and Emma had half a mind to pull out her gloves and wipes and disinfect it for him until she laid eyes on the contents. Will's reaction to the magazine he had chosen blindly was amusing to say the least and it had loosened up the tense mood that hung in the air.

Though the mood quickly returned when no more distractions were present. The pair continued to be silent except for Will occasionally shifting in his seat. He was anxious and worried for both Kurt and Burt and he felt he'd go insane if he sat still for too long. He shifted leg over leg, both ways, leaned forward so his elbows were resting on his knees, pushed one of his long legs under his rear and no one position was ever satisfactory for him. Occasionally he'd sneak glances over to Kurt who hadn't moved since he first plopped down in the chair and he wanted so desperately to go over there and comfort the boy but after Kurt rejected him the first time he didn't think it would be a good idea.

Emma watched silently as Will continued to shift in his seat and sneak longing glances at Kurt and she had to say her heart warmed slightly at the sight. Will cared about each and every one of the glee kids like they were his own and he'd do anything to protect and make them feel comfortable.

Emma bit her lip, pondering a thought for a moment, then rose from her chair and walked across the aisle to sit next to Kurt. Will straightened his back and stared after Emma in curiosity.

Emma very lightly reached out and placed her hand on Kurt's shoulder. "Kurt?" She called out in her sweet, motherly voice.

Kurt shuddered beneath her but did not reject her touch. Bravely Emma slipped her arm around Kurt's shoulders and gently pulled him towards her. Kurt went with the motion and lifted his head from his hands and rested his head on Emma's shoulder.

Will watched in awe as Kurt so easily let Emma in and Emma so easily comforted Kurt.

Emma rubbed Kurt's shoulders gently and very lightly rested her head near Kurt's. "Whatever happens, Kurt, it'll be okay."

"He's all I have." Kurt blubbered out, sniffling against Emma's shoulder. "I don't know what I would do if I ever lost him. He's not only my father but he's my best friend." He sobbed quietly, letting a few tears slip from his eyes. "Sometimes I think he doesn't understand me but then other times he goes and completely proves me wrong. He gets me like no other person in the world and I love him so much." Kurt lifted his head and through his blurry, teared filled vision looked at Emma. "Have you ever had a best friend, Miss P?"

Emma's mouth fell open and she stole a quick glance at Will who was now staring back at her with a sad expression.

"Have you ever lost that friend or...almost lost that friend?" Kurt went on and Emma's mouth slowly closed as her eyes remained locked on Will's. Kurt remained oblivious to their stolen, longing looks as he continued speaking. "I guess it's true what they say that you don't know what you got 'til its gone. My father and I have had our misunderstandings and our fights but.." He paused and his voice cracked. "He's the best man that I've ever known and I really don't know what I'm going to do without him." With another sob he collapsed forward into his hands and thought part of Emma desired to comfort Kurt she could not, for all that was within her, take her eyes away from Will.

Kurt may not have realized that he was not only speaking about the relationship between him and his father but about Will and Emma as well but the not-so-couple sure did.

They weren't sure how long they were sitting there just staring at each other getting lost in the others eyes when suddenly a voice broke them all out of their thoughts.

"Hummel?"

They all lifted their heads and turned towards the direction of the voice to see a friendly young woman dressed in a white lab coat, searching the waiting area.

"Yes?" Kurt stood up, a gleam of hope in his eyes.

A sad, pitying look crossed the young doctor's face as she approached them. "Are you Kurt?"

Kurt nodded silently, holding his breath while he waited for the doctor to say anything about his father. "You can come with me to see your father."

Kurt's face brightened. "Is he awake?"

The doctor shook her head sadly. "Sorry sweetie, but he is stable."

Kurt frowned and he looked over his shoulder towards Emma and Will who were now standing behind him, looking just as anxious as he was.

They both smiled at him and Will waved his hands, motioning for Kurt to follow the doctor. Kurt smiled thankfully at the glee coach and the doctor led him through the emergency room doors.

Once he was out of sight, Will let out a miserable sigh and collapsed his chair. Emma frowned and slowly resumed her seat next to Will.

"I think he'll be okay Will." Emma said carefully after a minute or two of silence. Will lifted his head and stared at Emma skeptically and she smiled warmly.

"Burt's a strong man from what I've heard, I think he'll be alright."

"I hope so Em." Will sighed as he rested back in his chair, tangling his fingers in his curls. "I really hope so. That poor kid has been through enough already. If Burt dies.."

"Don't say that." Emma cut him off in a sharp whisper and tears pricked her eyes. "We have to be positive, Will. If we are then Kurt will be too."

Will stared into her eyes for a good few moments and then a smile tugged at his lips and he nodded slightly. "You're amazing, you know that?"

Emma's eyes widened at his surprising words and then her cheeks flushed and she bit her lip, turning her gaze to her lap. "I'm-I'm nothing special."

Suddenly Will's hand was rested on her knee and she felt a spark ignite in her whole body. "Of course you are. You always know exactly what to say to make things better."

"Not always." She whispered distantly, shyly glancing up at him. Her breath caught in her chest at the raw emotions in his eyes. She'd only been that close to Will a few times before and she was either too shocked, swooning or nervous to read the emotions in his eyes. Now that she was sitting there, in a hospital waiting room, she could see into the depths of his eyes and what a beautiful place it was. Not only was the physical aspect beautiful (Will's eyes were the most beautiful shade of hazel she'd ever seen) but the emotional part was too. She could see every emotion that the man held in his body and it was starting to overwhelm her.

She managed to tear herself away from his intense gaze and she cleared her throat as she looked around the room awkwardly. Will's face fell and he sucked on his lower lip as he fell back against the chair.

Another awkward silence filled the air around them and it left them alone to sit in their thoughts. For a long while the only thoughts consuming their brains were Kurt's words. It was amazing how in a moment of such panic and uncertainty such clarity could be found.

Kurt's words were all that both of them needed to hear. For Emma, she realized what she had been struggling with for the past few months. Will was her best friend, and she had almost lost that because of their failed attempt at romance and without him in her life, her life would be incredibly empty.

For Will, although he realized long ago that he had lost Emma because of his stupid mistakes, it was further cemented in his brain that he could not give up on her no matter what it took. He needed Emma in his life, not only as his best friend, but as his lover.

As if they seemed to know what the other was thinking, they both lifted their heads and their eyes met. Their gazes locked and they stared into each others eyes for the longest time searching for answers.

To anyone around them it would appear that the two were in some sort of on going staring contest but between them they were lost in their own little world, drowning in each other's eyes.

They received odd looks from passing nurses and waiting patients as their intense connected proceeded for ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty minutes with no end in sight.

Their endless stare lasted for almost an hour until they were suddenly awoken from their trance by a loud calling of their names.

They intense stare broke and they both blinked rapidly as they entered back into the real world and upon observing their surroundings found that sometime in their moment their hands joined together between them.

Once they hit Earth fully they noticed that Mercedes, Quinn, Rachel and Finn all stood in front of them, Rachel holding a plate of cookies and Mercedes and Quinn each holding a bouquet of flowers.

Emma and Will released each others hand quickly and Will rose to his feet shortly followed after by Emma.

"Hey kids." Will's voice shook and he cleared his throat. "What are you doing here?"

"We heard about Mr. Hummel." Mercedes said uncharacteristically quiet and she glanced to her fellow glee mates who all nodded.

"We wanted to see if he and Kurt were okay." Quinn added.

"I baked some cookies." Rachel held up the plate of cookies.

"Where's Kurt?" Finn asked, looking around.

Will sighed quietly and shoved his hands into his pockets. "He's in with his father now. We haven't really heard anything about how he is."

The kids frowned and Rachel slipped her hand into Finn's, leaning against his side sadly. Mercedes and Quinn looked at each other and Quinn rested her head on Mercedes' shoulder, her head cheerleader attitude disappearing with her growing concern for her newest friend and his father.

"It was really sweet of you kids to come." Emma smiled at them softly. "Kurt will be glad to see you here."

"Why don't you guys have a seat?" Will motioned towards the empty row of seats in front of them, sighing quietly. "I have a feeling we'll be here for a while."

Hours upon hours passed with no such word from Kurt or about Burt. Shortly after the glee kids arrived, Carole showed up, looking panicked and upset. Finn comforted his mother for a few minutes and then as Carole sat down, Finn sat between her and Rachel holding both of their hands comfortingly.

As dinner time approached, even though Emma had insisted that she wasn't hungry, Will bought her a nutrigrain bar from the vending machine and a cup of coffee. Emma wasn't too fond of ingesting things that were from a hospital waiting room but she eventually graciously accepted the bar and cup of coffee.

She slowly consumed her "meal" as she watched Will pace across the room. Rachel, Mercedes and Quinn all started to nod off as the sky grew darker and darker with each passing minute and Finn continued to quietly comfort his mother.

After Emma started to get a little dizzy from watching Will pace back and forth she rose from her seat and approached him, taking his hand in hers. Will paused and glanced inquisitively down at her. She smiled slightly up at him and gently rested her head against his arm as she tangled their fingers together.

Will couldn't help but smile at her actions and he tightened his grip on her hand as they stood together, hand in hand.

Then, as if by God send, the Emergency Room doors opened and the tired, worn out figure of Kurt walked out. Finn nudged Rachel and Carole upon seeing him and Rachel whispered a venomous "guys" towards Quinn and Mercedes and suddenly they were all awake and on their feet. Will and Emma held their breath, tightening their grip on each others hands, waiting for Kurt to say something.

Kurt's bloodshot eyes scanned the room, meeting the anxious eyes of his friends, teachers and possible step mothers, and suddenly a smile crossed his face. "He's awake."

Carole cried out in joy and Finn wrapped her in a tight hug as the other five breathed heavy sighs of relief. Will and Emma glanced at each other in relief and suddenly before either knew what was happening they were in each others arms, laughing out of sheer relief.

After hugs and gifts were exchanged, Carole offered to take Kurt, Rachel and Finn home and Mercedes called her dad to pick her and Quinn up. Before Kurt left he gave both Will and Emma a hug, thanking them both for being there for him.

Once Mercedes and Quinn crawled tiredly into Dr. Jones' volvo and the black car pulled away into the night, Will sighed, feeling a heavy weight lift off his shoulders. He turned around to see Emma leaning up against the wall, blinking tiredly and smiling at him.

His lips also curved up in a tired smile and he silently motioned his head towards the door. Emma nodded in understanding and once she was next to him, side by side they walked out the door.

Emma shivered as her skin came in contact with the frigid air and she wrapped her arms around herself. Will observed her quietly for a second and then slipped his cardigan over his head leaving him only in a white button down shirt. He handed the garment to Emma and she shook her head in refusal but as a cold breeze whisked by her she gratefully accepted the cardigan and carefully slipped it over her head, inhaling Will's scent as it spilled all around her. She snuggled into the warm fabric and smiled genuinely at Will, thanking him quietly.

Will parked a lot further than he realized and the journey to the car seemed to go a lot slower than the journey from the car hours ago.

Even with the extra layer, Emma still felt a little chilly and she grabbed Will's hand for extra warmth. Will glanced down at her, his eyebrows raising slightly in question. She simply smiled, leaned into him for a moment and then continued walking silently.

As soon as Will's car was in view, Emma bit her lip and suddenly stopped in her tracks. Will halted to a stop, still holding tightly onto her hand and turned to her inquisitively.

"I have something to tell you." She admitted into the still night air.

Will furrowed his brow. "Here?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. Here. I don't want to wait any longer, Will. What happened with Mr. Hummel made me realize that you never know what's going to happen and I can't keep putting things off thinking that they'll be the same tomorrow or the next day or the next week or the next month when the truth is, Will, something could happen within the next few minutes and I never would have gotten the chance to tell you."

Will cocked an eyebrow staring at Emma nervously. "Tell me what, Em?"

Emma inched closer to him slowly so she could get a better look into his eyes and she inhaled and exhaled slowly. "I broke up with Carl."

Will blinked in shock. "You...what? When?"

"Oh..." She let out a breath through pursed lips, staring up at him hesitantly. "A few days ago."

Will's eyes widened, his face brightened for a moment and then it fell, trying to hide his apparent happiness at the normally bad news. "Why'd you do it?"

"I told him that that I wasn't ready to be in a relationship but that's only part of the truth. The real truth...is that I'm not over you." Emma glanced down at their joined hands and ran her thumb along the length of his pointer finger and then slowly turned her gaze back to his shocked face. "And I never will be. Will, I have been struggling with my feelings for you since I met you and it took a broken hearted kid who thought he might lose his father for me to realize that I don't want to lose you. Despite everything that has happened between us you have made me the happiest that I have ever been in my entire life and I can't just throw that away because I'm afraid of being hurt. Things happen in loving relationships whether its between a father and a son or a man and a woman and we have to accept that and move past them because when we do our love will be even stronger." She paused to lick her lips and noticed through the darkness that Will's eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"I love you Will." She concluded in a fervent whisper.

Emma bit her lip nervously awaiting a response from the stunned Will. A single tear rolled down his cheek and he smiled breath takingly and swooped down, catching her lips in a sweet kiss.

Emma froze at being taken off guard but she soon melted into Will's arms, giving in willingly to his kiss. She lightly wound her arms around his neck as their lips moved together in a slow, loving pattern.

They kissed until neither could think straight and when they finally broke apart for air, their foreheads came together in a loving touch. Emma could sense the smile on his face and a smile just as bright spread across her lips.

Will's lips trailed soft kisses along the skin of her forehead and cheek bones and Emma giggled quietly at the sensation. Will smirked against her skin and nuzzled his nose against hers, bringing his arms tighter around her.

"So where does this leave us?" Will whispered near her mouth.

Emma smirked as his breath tickled her and she settled her head in the crook of his neck. "It leaves us wherever we want it to." She trailed her fingers along his biceps gently. "We can start off new, Will. Let's not pretend like our past never happened because if it didn't we wouldn't be here now but...lets just pick up where we left off..." She smiled into his chest. "Just without the drama."

He hummed quietly, burying his nose into her hair for a moment and then turning to rest his cheek against her head. "I say we start where we didn't start before."

"And where's that?" Emma mumbled into his chest.

"At the beginning." He laughed quietly. "Let's face it Em, we were both so eager to be with each other we jumped right into the middle, hoping we'd have a happy ending. We need to start at the beginning."

Emma pursed her lips in thought and pulled back a bit to look up at Will curiously. "And where is the beginning exactly?"

Will licked his lips, turning his eyes upwards in thought and then he smiled. "Hi Emma, my name is Will and I am so incredibly in love with you."

The brightest grin that Will had ever seen on her spread across Emma's face and she giggled, burying her face into his chest for a moment. "That's a little blunt for first impressions." She teased as she pulled away.

He laughed throwing his head back with a grin. "You're right, I think we're past the formalities. Here, how about this." He pulled himself out of her arms and her face fell slightly at the loss of contact.

"Emma would you like to accompany to dinner on Friday evening?" His face twisted up in his famous dorky smile and his eyes danced with joy.

Emma placed her hand over her heart to attempt to control the pounding but the try was effortless and she smiled brightly. "I'd love to, Will."

Will's face faltered slightly as if he wasn't expecting that as her answer and then his grin returned and he captured her in his arms and twirled her, squealing and laughing, around the parking lot.

As soon as Will lowered her back to the ground their lips met in another sweet kiss and suddenly it seemed, even if just for a moment, that all was right with the world.


End file.
